I've had a new player enter one of my Deadlands campaigns (the one focusing at the moment on the Black Circle) and he's given me one of those toys GMs in many a game delight over: he decided his character has amnesia.

He set up this background: The character is currently Wanted (as in the Hindrance) for a crime he didn't commit. He was blamed for causing an explosion that accidentally killed and/or harmed a few individuals in a small town. He remembers getting into a fight with a Mad Scientist, who turned out to be the one who then actually caused the explosion, but the scientist lit out or otherwise vanished and the PC was left holding the bag. But that's the first event in his life that he remembers, and it only happened about five years ago.

Thus far, the only major character traits we've identified is that he's a smooth talker, a skilled gunslinger and a pacifist (largely due to the accident). Also, as a minor amusing thing during the last session, he tried to play the piano - I had him roll, and he got multiple raises so I told him that it turns out he actually plays well, though he doesn't remember where he picked it up.

So I'm pondering what to do with this and into what wondrous shapes I should twist his background, which will of course be coming back to haunt him. And of course which bits of Deadlands lore I should connect the character to. Any ideas?

I really like this. So obviously he is from back east. As he took piano lessons as a kid. I'd probably make him from the north. Somewhere like Boston. You could tie him to the Pinkertons or some secret society. Also with your games focus Black Circle you could tie him to any of the major players there. If ya what to be really mean he could be a Whatley cousin. I'd also let him take Background edges at any time to reflect things from his past coming to light. Have fun.

If you are running black circle, you could make it so that he was secretly the bodyguard of the raven haired girl and got amnesia from an attempt by a mercenary gang at seizing her. Heck, you could even turn him into a member of an ancient society who were dedicated to protecting that line of girls from the evil that shall not be named.

Great thoughts! I like the Pinkerton idea, and I think I've figured out where I can plug it into the campaign.

Even though it makes a good deal of sense given the background, I'm not going to tie him into the search for the raven-haired girl because this campaign is actually more about the Black Circle falling apart (I'm just saying that she was never found and there were consequences possibly related to the later chaos in Gomorrah and kind of leaving it at that for now).